China, Ethiopia vow to deepen friendship

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‍Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Addis Ababa, capital of the East African country.

Abiy asked Wang to convey his cordial greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

The Chinese foreign minister's visit to Ethiopia at the beginning of the New Year bears testimony to China's friendship with the country and the African people, said the prime minister.

He stressed that China has made positive contributions to the development of Ethiopia and other African countries.

He said Chinese companies have carried out most of Ethiopia's infrastructure projects, creating tens of thousands of jobs for local people and solidly promoting the country's economic and social development.

Wang on his part conveyed the greetings of the Chinese leaders to the Ethiopian prime minister.

He said that China and Ethiopia are close friends and strategic partners. The friendship has withstood the tests of fluctuating international situations and is unbreakable.

China supports Ethiopia in its pursuit of a development path that suits its national conditions and wins the support of its people, Wang said.

Wang said he believed that under the leadership of Abiy, Ethiopia will certainly overcome the temporary difficulties and successfully move towards industrialization and modernization.

The Chinese official also spoke with Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde on Thursday, with both sides highlighting the importance of further strengthening bilateral ties.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde during their meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 3, 2019. /Chinese Foreign Ministry Photo

China is willing to be a long-term and reliable partner while Ethiopia is developing the country and rejuvenating the nation, Wang said.

Ethiopia and China have consensus and common interests in protecting the world order from shocks of unilateralism, Sahle-Work said, expressing her hope that the two countries would continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation in the United Nations and on other international affairs.

The state councilor also met with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu on Thursday.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu during their meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 3, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

Wang said Ethiopia, a regional power in Africa and an emerging economy with huge potential for development, is an important strategic and cooperative partner of China on the continent.

For his part, Gebeyehu said that Ethiopia highly values Ethiopia-China relations, regarding China as the most important comprehensive strategic partner of cooperation and putting bilateral relations at the top place of Ethiopia's foreign policy.

Like other African countries, Ethiopia appreciates China's commitment to not interfering in other countries' internal affairs and is benefiting a lot from China's stable and consistent foreign policy, Gebeyehu said.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency